Adjustable brake-band support



Sept. 16 .1924. 1,508,737

J. w. WHITE ADJUSTABLE BRAKE-BAND SUPPORT Filed Dec. l, 1920 lll Patented Sept. 16, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE.

.TOHN W. WHITE, F DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR T0 GENERAL MOTORS CORPO'RA- TION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

ADJUSTABLE BRAKE-BAND SUPPORT.

Application led December 1, 1920. Serial No. 427,599.

To all whom it may (fo/noem:

VBe it known that I, JOHN W. WHITE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Detroit, county of Wayne, and State 0f Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Adjustable Brake- Band Supports, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and-exact description, such as will enable others skilled inf the art to which the invention relates-to make and use the same, reference being made therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a pfirt of this specification.

y invention relates to brake mechanism desi ed for use withv automobiles, motor tru s,'and similar self-propelled vehicles and wherein a brake band is forced into frictional en' agement with a brake drum to accomplish t e braking; and the principal object thereof is to provide brake mechanism in which improved means are provided for adjusting the brake band employed in such brake mechanisms -relative to the brakek drum with which it co-operates, the inven' tion being particularly applicable to internal brake bands altho certain features thereof are capable of use `with brake bands designed to co-operate with the exterior surface of a brake drum.4 v

Other objects' of my invention will appear from the following description which, in connection with the accompanying drawing, forms a specification of my invention; it being appreciated, however, that the invenl tion is capable of various modification and variation so long as such variations and modifications come' within the scope of the concluding claims wherein the distinguishing features of my invention are particu- 40' larly ointed out.

Re erring now to the drawing: Fi re l is a fragmentary view showing my improved brake mechanism partly 4in section and partly in elevation.

Figure 2. is a view showing a section on a vertical plane indicated by thev h ne 2 2, Fi re 1, at right angles to the vehicle axle. igure 3 is a fragmentary` view showing certain features of my invention upon an enlarged scale.

Figure 45 is a similar view upon a plane indicated by the line 5 5, Figure 3.

In the drawing the reference numeral 5 designatesthe outer portion of a rear driving axle to the outer end of which a hub 6 is secured from which the spokes 7 of the wheel extend; and the reference numeral 8 designates a brake drum secured to the wheel and partaking `of the rotation thereof, as by means of suitable bolts 9.

The axle 5 extends throu h a hollow rear axle housing 10 and the en thereof` is supported from said housing through a suitable roller or other bearing- 11. This axle housing carries at its outer end a spring and brake supporting barrel 12 having a radially extending brake supporting member 13 in the form of a disc or late which lies. within the brake drum 8, and)which is supported in a stationary or non-rotatable manner with reference to the 4said brake drum.

Located within the brake drum 8 is an expansible brake band 4made up of an inner strip of'metal to the outer surface of which a suitable brake lining of asbestos or other non-metallic material is secured, both said portions being herein referred to as a brake band and both bein designated by the refer-` ence numeral 14. bands are arranged one upon each side of the non-rotatable member 13, one being used for ordinary service braking and the other for emergency braking as is usual in motor driven vehicles.

The brake bands 14 illustrated herein are .of the typecominonly designated as the fullreferably two such-brake is supported. The en s of each brake band v are provided with brackets 15, which are pushed apart from one another to thereby force the brake band into contact with the interior of the brake' drum by means of toggle levers 16; which levers in'turn are operated as regards each band by an arm 1 altho any suitable brake applying mechanism may be employed as my invention is in no way limited to the brake applying features of the vehicle; In the form of my invention shown however, the barrel 12 serves as a support for a hollow oscillating shaft 18 and or a solid shaft 19 enclosed by said hollow shaft; the outer ends of said the bands and 'which absorb the thrust dud vmember 13, one of said abutments be to the application v'of the brakes and transmit the same to the stationary supporting 1ndicated b the reference numeral'20 in igure 2 an the same being ixedly secured to the supportinmember in any way. A spring 21 acts tween the free ends o each brake band to hold said ends in contact with the abutment and the brake band out of contact with the brake drum when the brake is not in use.

Secured to the non-rotatable supporting member 13 adjacent the peri hery thereofare a plurality of stops 22, t e particular number of stops em lo'ed being of secondary importance an epending upon the service rettlired of the brakes or upon other features t ereof. The sto s are shown as right angular in'form an the outer bent over portions 23` thereof extend beneath the brake bands 14 and serve to limit the inward movement of said bands which is produced by the sprin 21 extending between the brackets 15 w en the brakes are in their off position. These stops are adjustable, in order that the s ace between the peri hery of the brake ban and theinterior of t, I 'brake drum .may be adjusted to secure proper action of the brakes initiall and to maintain the brakes in proper con ition as the brake bands wear in use, to which end each of said stops is provided with a longitudinally, extending slot 24; and bolts 25, `one for each stop, extend throu h holes in thesu porting member 13 an through the slots 1n the stops, as best shown in Figure 4, to thereby clam the stops against -the supporting mem r in whatever position theymay adjusted into.

lhe means illustrated for effecting the adjustment of each stop 22 comprises a rotary combined securing and cam member adapted to move said stop radially, and to also assist in holding it in its adjusted position; said members being in the form of' bolts 26 having each an eccentric `cam or collar 27 just beneath the head thereof, and the extremity of the'gthreade'd shank of which is provided witha holding slot 28.

The heads of the clampi bolts 25 and the adjusting bolts 26 are a arran berting member or p ate 13 and the adjacent inner wall of the brake supporting member or,

drum which is secured to the wheel, so as to leave the ends of the threaded shanks of the bolts andthe nuts thereupon exposed at the open side of the brake drum, as will be understood from Figures land 2 of the drawing. The collars or cam portions 27 of the adjusting bolts which are associated with the stops upon the outer or ri ht-hand side of the late 13, referring to igure 1, operate wit in opleningsI of corres nding slze provided in t e stops, as best s own in Figure 4, while the threaded Shanks of these bolts extend throu h smaller vholes in the support 13; from w ich it follows that' vupon loosening the nuts 30 of the bolts the same may be rotated by means of a screw driver inserted in their slotted ends and the positions of the stops 22 changed to ro rl adjust the outer /or right-hand bra e an after which and u on tightening the nuts thestops may be he d in their adjusted positions. l

The collars or 'cams of the adjusting bolts which are' associated with the stops upon the inner or left-hand side of the plate 13 fit within openings provided for them in the said plate, as shown in Figure 5, while the threaded Shanks of th'ese' last mentioned bolts extend through ;holes in the innermost stop members';.from"'which it follows that these last mentioned stops may be adjusted upon loosening the nuts of the bolts and rotating the bolts by means of a screw driver inserted into the slot at the extremity f' the shank.

It therefore follows that the stops upon both sides of the supportingmember or plate 13 may be moved inward or outward and the brake bands supported b said stops prperly adjusted relative to the lrrake drum w1 out dibling the parts, and from a position at the inner or open side of the brake drum; both the bolts which adjust the stops and those which clamp the stops in place being prevented from rotating by `a screw driver or similar implement while the nuts thereupon are loosened to rmit the adjustment of the stops and tig tened after the stops have been properly posibe tioned.

end of one of the bolts associated with the` sto of the band which it is desired to ti ten and the nut upon the threaded end. o the bolt thus held is loosened. The screw ldriver is then rotated to the required extent, therebyrotating the bolt and forcing "the stop with which it lcooperates `outwar and against the inner ri he ofy its associated band. After ptehepstorl)r has been forced out s iciently b the 'eccentric carried by a bolt cooperatingx eithervwith -the wit a stop, according to which brake band is being adjusted, the nut is tightened while still preventing the bolt being held from rotating, thus securing the stop in its new position. It will be appreciated that this operation is ordinarily repeated with each of the stops for a given band, each band having four stops cooperating therewith in the embodiment of my invention illustrated, altho-ugh it may sometimes happen that not all the stops have to be adjusted in order to adjust the periphv ery of the brake band relative to the interior tlf) of the drum with which it cooperates.

Having thus described and explained my invention, I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

l. In brake mechanism vof the class described, a brake drum; a non-rotatable supporting disc Within and of approximately the same diameter as the interior of said drum; two brake bands located one upon each side of said supporting disc; means for Vmoving said brake bands into rictional engagement with the interior of saidA brake drum; a plurality of stops carried by said supporting disc and arranged some upon one and others upon the other side thereof, and against which said brake bands rest when in their oft' positions; and a plurality of adjusting devices all operable from one and the same side of said supporting disc for adjusting said stops to thereby vary the positions of the peripheries of said brake bands relative to the internal surface of said brake drum.

2. In brake mechanism of the class described, a brake drum; a supporting disc located within said brake drum; a brake band; means carried by said supper-ting disc :tor preventing rotary motion of said brake band; means for 'forcing said brake band into rictional engagement with the interior surface of said brake drum; a plurality of stops carried by said supporting disc and against which said brake band rests when in its oit position; av cam associated with each of said stops and which cam is rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicu lar to said supporting disc, to thereby vary 'the position of the stop with which it is associated; and means for securing said stops in their adjusted position.

3. In brake mechanism of the class described, a brake drum; a supporting disc located within said brake drum; a brake band n'ieans carried by said supporting disc 'for preventing rotary motionoi2 said brake band; means tor forcing said brake band into frictional engagement with the interior surface oi' said brake drum; a plurality of stops carried by said supporting disc and against which said brake band rests when in its off position; and a combined adjusting and fastening bolt associated with each of said stops and rotatable about an axis substantially perpendicular to said supporting disc for adjusting said stop and for securing it in place in its adjusted position.

4. n brake mechanism of the class described, a non-rotatable supporting member; a brake band; means carried by said supporting member for preventing rotary motion of said brake band; means for forcing said brake band into frictional engagement With a' brake drum; a plurality, of stops carried bysaid supporting member and against which said b'rake band rests when in its off position; and a bolt associated with each of Sa'id stops for securing the same in place, said bolt having an eccentric. collar portion adjacent its head adapted to rotate in an opening in said supporting member to thereby adjust the position of said stop.

5. In brake mechanism of the class described, a non-rotatable supporting member; a brake band; mea-ns carried by said supporting member for preventing rotary motion of said brake band; means for foro.- ing said brake band into frictional engagement With a brake' drum; a plurality of stops carried by'said supporting memben and against which said brake band rests when in its oil position; a holding bolt associated With each stop and extending through a hole in said supporting member and through a slot in said stop; and an adjusting bolt associated with each stop and having an eccentric co-llar rotatable in a hole provided for it to thereby effect the adjustment of said stop.

6. In brake mechanism of the class de-- scribed, a non-rotatable supporting member; a brake band; means carried by said supporting member for preventing rotary motion of said brake band; means for forcing said brakeband into frictional engagement With a brake drum; a plurality of stops carried by said supporting member and against which said brake band rests when in its o position; a combined adjusting and holding bolt associated with each of said stops and having a shank portion extending through a hole therein, and a collar eccentric With said shank portion and rotatable within a hole provided in said supporting member, to thereby eect the adjustment of the stop; and a second bolt associated with each stop for clamping the same to said supporting member.

In testimony whereof I ax my signature,

JOHN W. INI-UTE, 

